Maybe my blog title is wrong - I randomly selected 10 and all 10 were boring. Using Smith throughout just makes it even more obvious.

Also, all 10 give a job description. Nowhere is it written that you have to put your job description and employer in your headline. That's because it is a headline - it should be something that gets you noticed. Besides, your job experience shows up immediately below your headline.

Here's my current one (and I'll explain later why the word current is important):

Trending

Your headline is incredibly important. If you click on "People You May Know" the headline shows up under your name. A headline like mine makes you stand out from "Member - Smith, Smith PC." I also think I'm exceptional, so why not say so.

I also have the arrow in mine - again it just makes it stand out. To get the arrow, either copy mine, or go to (on a Windows PC) the Character Map and scroll way down through Arial until you find the arrow. Mac users - can't help you.

Earlier I said this was my current headline. LinkedIn sends out weekly updates on changes to your connections. They also put it in your news feed. Periodically changing your headline gets you in front of more people.

Note: This is the first in an ongoing series (I hope!) of LinkedIn tips. Next topic is on how to show your current job. Any requests - please comment.